The Intelligence Equilibrium

Today, knowledge iseverywhere, yet wisdomis seldom found. As youflick through the pages ofthis magazine, you will encountermany buzzwords: AI, data-drivencreativity, future-focused, shiftinglandscapes and many more. Onething is for sure. These words willhave a long and evolving life. Anycreative who thinks that AI will notchange the way they work is akinto a flat Earth believer. (Unless, likemyself, you are a big fan of TheDiscworld series, where the worldis indubitably flat).

AI is here to stay, and absolutelynothing will keep it at bay. Oneexplanation of the AI age thatmade sense to me was to lookat it like a new paintbrush withenhanced capabilities or a newmusical instrument that can adapt,enhance and innovate the musicthat could only be heard in one’shead but was never played before.AI is like the printing press; itdid not destroy books but madethem more accessible and fuellednew genres. AI can do the samething for art creation by makingit more widespread and leadingto new forms of expression wehave yet to imagine. This is thebest of times to be a creative.However, to a human employedin a creative field, this might bethe worst of times.

ChatGPT can write a betterarticle than I can. DALL-Ecan paint better than me, forsure. Runway can make morebeautiful ethereal videos thanI can. And this is exactly thethinking that calls for the otherkind of intelligence – emotionalintelligence – EI.

Will AI take my job? Howwill I grow if I do not learn AI?The common fear in the abovequestions stems from ‘I’ not‘AI’. António R. Damásio, thePortuguese neuroscientist,wrote: “We are not thinkingmachines that feel; we arefeeling machines that think.”Feelings and emotions aresomething AI has yet to masteror even acknowledge.

Humans are complex beings.We internalise, over-rationaliseand rarely empathise withourselves. A study by the HarvardMedical School suggested thathalf of the world’s populationwill experience a mentalhealth disorder by the ageof 75. The study was carriedout in 29 countries throughface-to-face surveys with over150,000 adults. They called itthe massive burden of diseasewhere treatment needs arelargely unmet. Last month, onMental Health Awareness Day,several organisations announcedpolicies to tackle this growingconcern about mental health inthe workplace. Organisations canno longer sweep mental healthunder the rug. Yet there is moreto this enigma of humans andthis is where EI becomes equally,if not more, important than AI.

How many times have you lefta job because the boss was aninsufferable, insecure excuse of ahuman being? How many timeshave you lost sleep on a Sundaydue to the ‘workmares’ (yes, it isan actual word) about Monday?

The cost of bad bosses islike a white elephant present inevery boardroom. High employeeturnover, low morale, increasedstress, a fear-based cultureand decreased individual andorganisational performance. Yet, notall companies are rushing to createbetter frameworks for leadershipand improve their internal emotionaland cultural quotients.

As AI reshapes variousaspects of our lives, it isincreasingly important toconsider the role of EI. AI excelsat tasks that involve logicalreasoning and data analysis, butit lacks the ability to understandand respond to human emotions.EI bridges this gap by enablingindividuals to recognise,understand and manage theiremotions, thereby facilitatingmeaningful human-AI interactions.

BBDO recently launcheda new entity that focuses onEI called Dot Move. The aimis to develop soft skills withinPakistan’s corporate sector andgive people the tools to excel atEI. The old-age managementstyle of a shouty boss yelling outorders while employees hide orkeep a low profile does not workanymore. Such bosses have noplace in a hyperconnected worldwhere a single tweet can bringdown dynasties, both corporateand political.

Employees craveappreciation. They deserveacknowledgement and do theirbest when given psychologicalsecurity. As Einstein said,“Insanity is doing the samething over and over again andexpecting different results.”

AI brings forth numerousbenefits and possibilities, but italso poses unique challengesto human interaction andemotional well-being. The abilityto recognise, understand andmanage emotions becomesincreasingly crucial.

In creative industries,collaboration is the key tosuccess. Be it in advertisingagencies, film productionstudios or design firms, creativeprojects require teams ofindividuals to work togethertoward a shared goal. EI fosterscollaboration by promotingopen communication, mutualrespect and conflict resolution.Creators with high EQ are betterequipped to manage teamdynamics, resolve disagreementsand create a positive workingenvironment that encouragescreativity and innovation.

AI tools can enhancecollaboration by providing teamswith data-driven insights andautomating routine tasks, allowingteam members to focus onhigher-level creative discussions.However, it is EI that ensuresthese discussions are productiveand that team members feelvalued and understood.

Have you heard the phrase, “Isthe crisis the way you deal withcrises?” That is the crux of EI.It gives us the tools to masterour thoughts, control ourreactions and eventually shapeour destinies. When you knowyourself, your fears and yourdesires, then you can formulatea plan to counter those fearsand fulfil your desires. Sadly,agencies are frequently knownfor their toxic culture. Riddenwith egotistical bosses, internaland external politics, long hours,bad compensation and insecuremanagement styles.

Matters on the client side arenot that great either. When Imeet other agency leaders, weall agree on one thing: if onlythe client knew that respectingtheir agency and treating themas equals would get them loyalteams willing to die for theirbrand. If clients become betterat EI, all the KPIs will fall intoplace. However, at the moment,this is wishful thinking and it willtake time for clients to realisethat their behaviour is the biggestobstacle to their success.

Until that day comes, I will focuson an agency where AI and EIwill not compete but collaborate.Each one enhances the other’sstrengths and compensates fortheir limitations. Agencies that strikethis balance will be well-positionedto lead the creative industries oftomorrow, producing work that isinnovative and deeply human.

Atiya Zaidi is CEO and CCO, BBDOPakistan and co-Founder, SheroSpace. The views in this article areher own and do not reflect the viewsof any organisation.zaidipride@gmail.com